Pull the trigger as fast as you can WITHOUT messing up your sight alignment/target picture.

If you can slap the trigger and not fowl up the shot then it's ok to slap the trigger.

Many of the brand-name pros will advocate that you come off the trigger shoe to ensure that you don’t shortcut (for lack of a better word) the reset. I recall that Earnest Langdon advocates the same.

We laypeople naturally struggle with that thought. We lack the confidence in our control and thus stay on the trigger as a means of minimizing variables within the next shot.

As with many activities, an average participant should not immediately embrace a pro’s technique. The technique may be superior but we tend to dismiss the hours of training used by the pro (and his natural ability) to capitalize on a different technique.

quote:

Originally posted by FHHM213:
Many of the brand-name pros will advocate that you come off the trigger shoe to ensure that you don’t shortcut (for lack of a better word) the reset. I recall that Earnest Langdon advocates the same.

We laypeople naturally struggle with that thought. We lack the confidence in our control and thus stay on the trigger as a means of minimizing variables within the next shot.

As with many activities, an average participant should not immediately embrace a pro’s technique. The technique may be superior but we tend to dismiss the hours of training used by the pro (and his natural ability) to capitalize on a different technique.

Well stated, those folks shoot way more than we do and on someone else’s dime. I do shoot enough with my guns that I do know where and when they reset or close enough I suspect. There is no denying Earnest is an accomplished shooter in his own right. Should I imitate him just because of that well no, or anyone else for that matter. But it does pay to see and learn what others do and see if it works for one or not. I have found Brian Enos to be quite informative through the years. Do I buy his over priced lube? Well no. But he does say not to fool yourself into thinking you are better than you are or too good to not at least consider to learn a better way.

That’s not what Ernest teaches. As a matter of fact, he’s the first one I learned trigger prep from. He does not teach pinning the trigger to the rear, and rightfully so, but he doesn’t teach slapping. He does say that he really doesn’t care what people decide to do after they reset the trigger under recoil, but don’t pin it.

But as far as what he actually teaches, he teaches a hard prep as a primary technique.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
That’s not what Ernest teaches. As a matter of fact, he’s the first one I learned trigger prep from. He does not teach pinning the trigger to the rear, and rightfully so, but he doesn’t teach slapping. He does say that he really doesn’t care what people decide to do after they reset the trigger under recoil, but don’t pin it.

But as far as what he actually teaches, he teaches a hard prep as a primary technique.

Ah more clarification and that makes sense as well.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
That’s not what Ernest teaches. As a matter of fact, he’s the first one I learned trigger prep from. He does not teach pinning the trigger to the rear, and rightfully so, but he doesn’t teach slapping. He does say that he really doesn’t care what people decide to do after they reset the trigger under recoil, but don’t pin it.

But as far as what he actually teaches, he teaches a hard prep as a primary technique.

I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to imply that he taught to “slap” the trigger. (I’m not even sure what defines a slap.). I was just recalling a point that he made as to a preference for students to come off the trigger for the reason I already stated. As to the extent that one exaggerates that release off the trigger, I wasn’t trying to link him to such method.

And lastly, you’re right in that he teaches a prep. I just wish I could mimic it as well as he and you!

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
He does not teach pinning the trigger to the rear

Best I remember, and that's from way back, my first out of three classes with him, he mentioned trigger pinning is an OK on high degree of difficulty slow shots.

As far as this thread is concerned, I've been reading this thread since it came up with an amusement.

I wanna see Bill Wilson or Rob Leatham slap a duty Glock trigger, all 6 lbs of it after that pre-travel. I find it illuminating that WC guns now come with under 4 lbs "carry" triggers.

At the other end of it, I want to see a prepper hard-prep Leatham's game guns. He warned me I would likely send a round too early out of his Springer, I did a few dry pulls, and still let the shot out before I could confirm a sight pic.

I can slap my CZ at .16 splits and keep 80 to 90% in A zone at 10 yards. I will never slap it and instead prep it at 15-20 yards partial target.
I won't slap a carry Glock trigger. I might slap a carry Beretta trigger in SA mode.
I don't understand why this subject is almost always treated in a binary way.
I also don't understand what letting or not letting trigger off trigger's face has anything to do with slapping vs prepping.

The inference, it sounds, is that some of the high-level shooters with very light triggers are coming off the trigger as a control, because any contact would set it off. It sounds like the slap is more of a tap.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by YVK:
I don't understand why this subject is almost always treated in a binary way.
[/QUOTE

I would say because people see things and they relate what they see, or what they think they see, with what the successful do. And no amount of logic or reason is going to stop them from believing what they believe. So, why try?

Yep, in USPSA, Robbie slaps the trigger. On a gun that is measured in ounces. And it's Robbie.

When Robbie shoots Action Pistol, he is mandated to shoot a pistol that has a minimum of 3.5 pounds in pull weight. Robbie told me the last time we were at Bianchi together that his XD was set up at about 3.75, just to make sure the weight didn't creep below 3.5 and get him DQ'd. He preps the trigger shooting action pistol, and doesn't slap.

This is what most of the top level shooters do. They apply the level of trigger control that they need to solve a problem. They do this because they are top level shooters, and winning whatever they trophy they are gunning for is more important than having a philosophical argument on the internet. The cool guy stuff on IG doesn't show them prepping and rolling on a 35 yard head box shot. It's the 5 empty cases in the air at 4 yards where they can slap and get away with it. This leads to "But, but, but......Robbie...." arguments on the internet.

I'd also venture to say, if tier one special operations units had IG pages that were as aggressive as USPSA shooters, the landscape of the conversation on trigger control would be much different in the "but, but, but" crowd.